07 May, 2007

Jackfruit Idli with Mango Chuteny

Jackfruit… There is something about jackfruit which fascinates me all the time. The huge spiky hard exterior which contains sweet golden yellow sheaths has always been one of my favorite fruits. I remember the days when my sister, brother and myself would always find some reason to stay away from volunteering to pare and seed the jackfruit. Once the sticky glue was removed and the golden flesh is separated, we kids would happily go and sit cross legged on the floor next to the big cane basket which would be filled with sweet jackfruits and happily eat one after the other. Amma would sit there peeling sheaths of fruit and tell us her childhood memories where she with her sisters and brothers and some dozens of cousins would gather and have fun while peeling jackfruit from its sticky sheaths and burn the jackfruit seeds in open fire. Although I am lucky to have many cousins, it is no where close to what my parents have. I can very well imagine the fun my parents had while growing up with their siblings and cousins in a large joint family.
My amma makes many dishes using both raw and ripe jackfruits. Apart from Kodhel(coconut based sambar from Mangalore), Majjige Huli(buttermilk based) and Playa(stir fried vegetables) the raw jackfruit is used in preparing pakodas and also they were preserved in salt water to make Rotti, Playa and Sambar and also a crunchy munchy called Undla Kalu. the ripe jackfruit is used to make Kottige(steam cooked rice cake using banana leaves), Payasa, Berati (Jackfruit Jam) and Papads. The seeds of the jackfruits were used in Palya and Laddu.First when I heard about this months Jhiva ingredient I wanted to make traditional, authentic Mangalorean dish called Kottige/Kadubu which is very similar to Genasale, steam cooked rice cake with coconut and jaggery. I couldn’t find any banana leaves here and was not feeling very adventurous to use aluminum foil in place of them. So ended up making Jackfruit Idli. I used same ingredients used to make Jackfruit Kottige and steam cooked them in Idli stand. Served these sweet idilies with sour and spicy Raw Mango Chutney. Here is my entry for this month’s JFI-Jackfruit which is hosted by daring and darling couple Jai and Bee of Jugalbandi fame. I am contributing the recipe of Mango chuteny for this month's AFAM-Mango which is hosted by lovely Deepa of Recipes 'n More. Thank you Ashakka for reminding me:)

Soak rice in water for 1-2 hours or overnight.
Grind the rice with freshly grated coconut, salt, cooking soda and jaggery to smooth paste. The paste should be of dosa batter consistency.
To this add chopped jackfruit and cardamom powder and mix well.
Now either you can steam cook using banana leaves or using Idli stand. If you are using banana leaves follow the steps showed for Genasale.
If you are using idli stand, grease the idli plate with oil/ghee and pour a ladle full of batter and steam cook them in pressure cooker for 10-15 minutes.
Let it cool for few minutes before serving the idlis with spicy mango chutney and ghee.

A closer look at Jackfruit Idli

Best side dish for these Jackfruit Idli is spicy and tangy Raw Mango Chutney. It's a marriage made in heaven. Here is the recipe for making Mango Chuteny.

Method:
Peel the mango discarding its pit and cut it into chunks.
Combine all the ingredients and grind it to smooth paste.
You can add more chillies if you prefer very spicy chutney to go with sweet Jackfruit Idli.

Jackfruit Idli with Mango Chuteny

Did You Know?The jackfruit is believed indigenous to the rain forests of the Western Ghats of India.Male and female flowers are borne in separate flower-heads.Jackfruit is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world, reaching 80 pounds in weight and up to 36 inches long and 20 inches in diameter.There may be 100 or up to 500 seeds in a single fruit, which are viable for no more than three or four days.There are two main varieties. In one, the fruits have small, fibrous, soft, mushy, but very sweet carpels with a texture somewhat akin to a raw oysters. The other variety is crisp and almost crunchy though not quite as sweet. This form is the more important commercially and is more palatable to western tastes.(Source:www.crfg.org)

Jackfruit Idli with Mango Chuteny

See the picture here which I got from Kamat’s Potpouri where the members of joint family are seen cleaning the jackfruit.

76 comments
:

Hi Sia,You already got the Jack fruit!!I am still trying to get Trisha's Vietnamese friend Chau to buy it for me who knows where to get it!;pIdilies look great,a pinch of soda would make it puff a little.You can also send Mango chutney to AFAM you know! Two in one!:DI think you are the first one to go with Halasina hannu.Do you know about soft and slimy Bilava type Jack fruit? We used eat those so much in the estates.I wish I could get some of those.If I get,I am making something like this but not idlies!:)Went to see Spiderman 3 lat Sat,it was great.

That is such an innovative dish...absolutely love jackfruit...I'm really tempted to get them now...the owner of our local Indian store has promised me some...even we make curries with the raw jackfrit...in fact we cook even the seeds...

sia, beautiful write up and recipes. have never seen anything like this before. jackfruit and idli!!! wow!! love the way you presented it. i am still on the look out for jackfruit to contribute to jihva. till now no luck.

Jackfruit idli never ever in my wildest dream would I have thought about it, really nice. Found jackfruit yesterday at a local vietnamees store now I need to think of make something else other then idle :)

Wow! this is so innovative. Sweet idlis, aha! kya baat hai. So this is the stuffed stuff you were talking about :-D Lovely in every way, Sia. Though i am more in love with the raw jackfruit (we make sabzi with shredded jackfruit, pickle and another curry with potato, plus roast the seeds.....), this one is a winner. And hearing the name Halasina hannu.....reminds me of good old Bangalore. Thanks a lot for sharing.

Love jackfruits....i didn't know there are so many jackfruit based dishes in karnataka. Is the jackfruit used for this recipe ripe one ? This being a sweet idli... with mango chutney it must be some combination.Pics look great !

Wow jackfruit idlis..never knew there were so many ways to use ripe jackfruit. I like raw jackfruit but not much fan of the ripe ones.But these idlis look really beautiful. I love your stories about your family you know

Wow!! Sups what lovely photographs :) The golden Jackfruit with the golden idlis is so eye catching :)The idlis must be tasting heavenly. I love ripe jackfruit.Enjoyed the write up .The chutney is nice too.

@bee,i am glad u liked it bee. will be send u the pic very soon:) if i get time i have another dish to try and post:)

@ashakka,i used canned jackfruit and i am pleasantly surprised with it. it was much better than i expected. i did find fresh jackfruit this weekend in indian store and u know what? it costs 2 pounds for just 4 pieces...too expensive and it was not very ripe also. so didn't purchase it. but u know what ashakka? we got indian alphanso mangoes:D i am soooooo thrilled to have it. little expensive but couldn't resist from buying big box of mangoes:)i did add soda and forgot to list it in ingredients. have edited it. thanks for reminding me abt it and also sent mango chutney for AFAM:) oh i very well know that kind of jackfruit. god!!! so many times it used to get stuck in my throat. its good for making jam and papads right? ah!!! nostalgic...i too wanted to watch that movie but darn my leg...:(

@sunita,even i love those seeds. we usually sundry them and eat or use in making stir fry with yellow cucumber and in laddues for ganesha chathurthi:) hope ur local store gets the jackfruit very soon:) will look forward to ur dish:)

@reena,u should be able to get it in any chinese or indian stores. infact i have found the fresh jackfruits also. these canned ones are really good. hope u do find some if not for JFI atleast for tasting:)

@shilpa,jackfruit and mangoes are part of every indian child's childhood:) i know what u mean by missing home. but i am glad that atleast i am able to get some fresh and canned jackfruit here. something is better than nothing han? :)

@musical,girl...there is more stuffed stuffs to come...all are in drafts;) jackfruit in all its avtars is my fav. i have other recipes of raw jackfruits which i will try to post ASAP:) i am not able to find any jackfruits seeds till now. my hunt is still on:)

@jai,will send the pic shortly jai. thank u for hosting JFI-Jackfruit and i must say it is very good choice. will get to see and learn so many recipes of jackfruit now:) will look forward to what u guys are gonna come up with this:)

@viji,i am glad u liked it viji. what are u gonna come up with? its close to lunch time and i am not gonna come any close to check ur blog as i am sure u will have very tempting spread of ur weekend brunch:)

@archana,a warm welcome to spice corner:) girl, i cant wait to come over and check what u have got for us. all the very best for ur new venture:)

hi Honey, thank you so much for asking about me dear. you are such a sweet heart. I will be posting something by today evening. Got a lil busy with my Son's school and my car driving. Newly driving so a lil nervous, that too with my son so you know how it would feel. btw this recipe of urs is such a master piece. did you use canned jackfruit? lovely pics.

@sharmi,oh!!1 thats a relief. no need to rush things sweetie as u very well know what is important:) i haven't got my licence yet;) bk in india i am used to bump into anything which comes in between;) he he he...just kidding:) good luck with ur driving and be very careful sweetie:)and coming to idli, i used canned ones. surprisingly they were quite firm and tasty :)

@ramya,we get both fresh and canned ones here ramya. fresh ones r really expensive at the moment so used canned jackfruit:) they were really good though.

@usha,he he he... so u r full of questions han? well, it tastes sweet coz of jaggary and jackfruit and yup, tastes really good with tangy-spicy chuteny. hope u do try it out someday usha:)

I envy you seeing that golden fruits....I want some of 'em now...you get fresh ones there?

And yeah...I agree with you we were not seen around when until the sticky sheaths are removed and once the golden fruit is visible, we re like flies on 'em :P...hmm...now I see we have similar stories :)

Wow, I've never heard of Jackfruit idlis, and that picture of the idli with the jackfruit pieces sticking out, omg, I'm seriously drooling over here... Loved reading your trip down the memory lane too... I have a lot of similar memories.

hey supriya,This reminds me of halasina hannina kottige.I just love them.May be this will taste somewhat the same.Well i prepare them using alluminium foil.Hmm well the do not taste as good as when prepared using banana leaf.Hmmm lovely pics dear.Think K might have enjoyed these na.

Hi,I’ve never written to anyone on a blog before but, your site is so incredibly beautiful, I had to let you know that on the other side of the world you have a fan (really two). I’m from the United States and my boyfriend is from Bangalore. He’s an excellent chef, taught by his mother…she has the reputation as being one of the best cooks in the region. Now he is teaching me southern Indian cooking. I found your website when I was comparing Dosa recipes and immediately fell in love with your wonderful recipes and engaging annotations…. Your amazing photos are so mouthwatering…they are truly award worthy. You really should have a blog on food photography as well. Would you mind sharing the type of camera you use?Anyway, when I read your Dosa recipe, it was just like his mother’s…as are many of your recipes. The difference is that she never writes them down, and he has them committed to memory (which sometimes fails after about 30 ingredients). So now I have a place to go where I’m assured the recipe will be fabulous and it’s written…so even I may follow it. Thank you! Do you ever take requests for a recipe using a particular ingredient?We check on you almost every day and have been pleasantly surprised when you trigger a fond memory of a dish he hasn’t had in a long while. He often comments that your dishes and techniques are a perfect reflection of his home. You always inspire us. Thank you for making a difference in our world....

@trupti,he he he...i couldn't resist from making these. if ur little tigers like jack fruit and something sweet then this is for them:) got ur mail. will get back to soon:) hugs to u dear:)

@shn,u get banana leaves there rt? lucky girl. i have to look out for some kerala stores mainly for boiled rice and banana leaves:) and also nendra bananas:)but yeah, we do get fresh jackfruits but they are quite expensive. these r canned ones and they were just great:) well, beggers cant be choosers rt;)

@sig,i am sure u will be able to get at least canned jackfruits:) i so much want to make that corn fried rice:) will try that out pretty soon:)

@cynthia,now this is something different from ur usual comments sweetie:) usually i used to get surprised with ur comments to know as how similar indian and caribbean cusines are. jackfruit is something either u will love it or hate it:)

@MT,i am glad u liked it dear:) thank you.

@chitu,welcome to spice corner:) thanks for the link. i will surely check ur mint chutney recipe.

@kelly,i dont know what to say! i feel so humble and happy to know how my blog is loved and cherished by u:) i feel i am still a novice in cooking and i have been cooking since i got married and moved to different country. i just got over a year of cooking experience and every day i get to learn so many things from others like my mom, mother in law, friends and lovely food bloggers. My main reason to start this blog is to keep a diary of my cooking adventure as i tend to forget the ingredients pretty soon(so i dont blame ur boyfriend here as it can be little daunting to remember all the spices and other ingredients:) i never ever imagined in my wildest dream that my blog will be appreciated and nurtured:) thank you so much for leaving a comment which really inspired and motivated me. i really appreciate ur kind words:) i use Panasonic DMC-FZ7 for taking photos. so all the credit goes to camera and not to the person behind it;) So far i have never received any recipe request. if i get any request based on ingredient i would try to come up with something. cooking and blogging is my hobby. so i have not taken it very seriously:) if u have any recipe request just drop a line in comment section. i will try my level best to cook and post it:)now i know that among few ghost readers i get on my site meter there is one lovely couple who appreciate my blog:) thank you for letting me know. ur comment really has given a whole new meaning to my blog:)

On a personal note, I will be travelling to London in early June, would love to hear from you about things to do and any tips. I am travelling with 2 kids. Also as a foodie would love to hear of any resturants that I must and should go.

Never heard of Jackfruit idlies! Combi of sweet idlies and spicy mango chutney must be yum! I love jackfruit. My grandfather's house in Mysore had a big tree that yielded almost 50 fruits each season! So yum! Mom made jackfruit dosas, halasina kayi palya and added the seeds to saarus and hulis. I've never tried to cook anything with jackfruit yet. The pix are lovely as always, Sup! I wish u lived closer to me. I'd be over every day! :)

I have been an ardent reader of your blog since a long time. I wanted to thank you for sharing all these recipes with me and bringing back Mangalore memories to me. My mom is from Mangalore and I used to visit my grandparents there. So I have had a chance to savour all these lovely dishes. Your Halasina Hannu Idli brings back so many wonderful memories. I cannot thank you enough. Also I recently tried your Rava Roti and it turned out just great. Thanks a lot for your blog. Love it.

@arts,thank u and welcome to spice corner:) i am glad to know u found it quite interesting:)

@vani,my god!!! 50 jackfruits? thats really wonderful. what u used to do with all those jackfruits?;) he he he...i remember my granny sending a jackfruits almost every month to her sons and daughters homes:) i too miss eating fresh jackfruit palya and hulis. mmm.... girl move to UK and i will be more than happy to babysit little M(as long as my boss has no objection, he he he:)

@sapna,thank u sapna for ur kind words. i am glad to know that my post took u down the memory lane of beautiful childhood days:) i must add that u r too generous with ur compliments and i am not sure how to react:) just took a quick peek at ur lovely blog. i will come back again and go through it in leisure as u have got wonderful collection of recipes:) thank u for leaving a comment and leading me to ur blog.

It's so funny to me that you have a recipe for Jackfruit Idli with Mango Chutney, because I have a recipe for Mango Idlis (but not with Jackfruit chuntney!)

Your site looks great, and I know I'll be trying out lots of the recipes soon!

If you have a chance, please check out my blog, because I am currently trying to get my Indian cookery book published, and I really need some support as I am self-publishing. It's an excellent book, even though I am only 17! Please check out my blog, and spread the word!

Wow sia...stooping by here brought back my chilhood memories...i grew up in mangalore as well and now in UK with hubs...what a coincidence???And i absolutely love jackfruit idli..they used to steam it in the containers made from the leaves right?

Namaste! I am Sia and welcome to Monsoon Spice, my virtual home. Thank you for all your comments, inputs and feedback. I really appreciate the valuable time you spent browsing through my recipe repertoire.

I hope you have found what you are looking for today. Feel free to leave any questions or queries you have on the recipes posted here. If you have any recipe requests, please drop a line at Ask Sia page. I will try to respond to all your queries as soon as possible to best of my knowledge.

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I hope that you will stop by again to read my rants, learn new recipes and share your ideas. Have a good look around and enjoy your time here. Thank you once again!

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About Sia

Born in India and raised in fun and food loving family, I currently reside in UK with my better half and my two babies, five years old son and nine years old food blog. My cooking style has strong root in Indian culture and at the same time embraces the world cuisine with equal passion. With never ending love for food, spice and life, I am passionate about cooking and making Indian food less intimidating, healthy and easy to cook which reflects in my blog Monsoon Spice which has been ranked one among Top Indian food blogs. Read more…

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